As the A-League season begins its second half — still rather in the shadow of the Asian Cup — Melbourne Victory heads west knowingthey need three points to close the gap on leader Perth Glory if they want to strengthen their hopes of a top-two finish.
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Melbourne are looking to bounce back quickly, Kevin Muscat's team having gone down to the West Australians less than a month ago in one of the last games staged before the Asian Cup break.
That night Victory crashed in a home game played at Geelong's Simond's Stadium (AAMI Park was unavailable due to the Asian Cup), Perth scoring twice early and although Besart Berisha pulled one back from the spot, Victory could not quite get back on level terms on a night notable as much for the heat as the intensity of the game.
Perth came into this weekend four points clear of Wellington, with 32 points to the Kiwis' 28, with Victory on the same number of points as Wellington but with an inferior goal difference.
Adelaide's thumping win over struggling Newcastle on Saturday evening lifted the Reds, at least temporarily, into second spot, three points behind Perth.
Victory has a full cast to choose from, save for the injured centre half Matthieu Delpierre, who has been out virtually all season. The Frenchman looked a class act in his first few games, but after picking up an injury in Victory's loss to Perth in an FFA Cup tie, he has not been since - and may not be until March.
Glory have filled the gap left by the season-ending injury to star import Youssouff Hersi by singing German Dragan Paljic, who can play either as a left back or left winger.
But Kenny Lowe's team is also without key midfielder Mitch Nichols, and will be for some time yet as the Socceroo is recovering from a hamstring injury which will likely limit his participation before the finals, which Perth are now certain to play in.
Fahid Ben Khalfallah was an absentee that night in Geelong through suspension, and Muscat will be looking to the French-born Tunisian international to bring his blend of skill, feistiness and technique to bear.
Perth's aura was cracked a little last time out when Adelaide went to WA and came away with the three points. Glory is not used to being the hunted, the team at the top of the ladder, and it will be a test of their mental capacity to see if they can cope with the pressure as the others chase them down.
Will the Asian Cup break have broken their momentum? It's hard to say, as all teams have had a few weeks off. But if Perth can do the double over Victory, their credentials as potential champions, sometimes doubted in the east, will certainly be reinforced.
